Treaties, trials & magic
by laughsalot12
Summary: After two decades of war between the druids and Camelot a peace treaty is attempted. However there are some on both sides who do not want this to happen, therefore a protector is needed... Emrys...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sooo, this is my first fanfic so please let me know what you think...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

The war between the kingdom of Camelot and the magical community, the druids, had started more than two decades ago, but the fighting still continued. When the druids, peaceful people, decided that enough had died in those pointless battles, their council of elders agreed to send an ambassador to Camelot.

One of their own, who did not have the gift of magic, was chosen to enter the enemy's castle and negotiate a peace treaty.

But first they would send a message.

* * *

_Camelot, throne room_

King Uther was holding council, when suddenly an arrow shot through a window and pierced a column right next to him.

"Get down", Prince Arthur shouted and tackled his father.

The guards and present knights immediately went to the windows and looked for the culprit, but no one could be seen. Nevertheless some of them rushed out of the room to find the attacker.

In the meantime the king regained his feet, after shoving his son aside, and regarded the arrow. "What is that? There is something attached to it."

His head knight Sir Leon removed the arrow from the column and exclaimed "It's a letter, my lord".

Opening it he began to read aloud:

"_To king Uther, _

_Our people have become tired of fighting; _

_therefore we propose to negotiate a peace treaty. _

_The terms will hopefully be favourable for both sides._

_Should you agree to start negotiations, burn this letter. _

_**The Council of elders"**_

Stunned silence filled the room.

Uther thought about this development, he knew that most of his subject had also grown tired of this neverending war. They did not share his complete hatred of magic and no longer saw a point in the fighting. Even his son showed first signs of reluctance.

He asked his physician, Gaius, who had had a close relationship with the druids before the war started "What do you think, Gaius. Is this some plot to ruin us or a genuine offer?"

"Sire, I believe that the council has always tried to maintain peace between our people. There may be many magical beings, who would rather see Camelot in ruins, but the elders have never shown such intentions. They prefer peace. So, in my opinion, it is a genuine offer."

Already knowing this himself he came to the decision that these talks could bring an end to the expensive war.

So he went to the closest candle and burned the letter.

All of a sudden a strong wind picked up in the middle of the hall. Only seconds later it was gone, but in its wake stood a man clad in the clothes of the druids.

"Guards" Uther shouted.

The man was instantly grabbed, but he didn't look frightened. He simply looked at the king and said "Am I wrong in the assumption that you burned the letter?"

"No, you're not."

"Well, then I would suggest your men to let me go, as I am the ambassador of the druids." He said and looked at the guards pointedly.

After a nod from the king the guards released him.

"Thank you. Now may I introduce myself, my name is Connor. I will be your liaison to the council and responsible for the phrasing of the treaty. During my stay, a truce will be held.

As your ... lack of acceptance against magic is well known I myself do not possess the gift, but any attacks on my person will be seen as an act of war and will be retaliated accordingly."

"Very well, that is acceptable. In honor of your arrival there will be a feast tonight and tomorrow the negotiations will start." The king announced.

* * *

Hours later at the feast Uther presented the Lady Helen, a famous singer, who should entertain the guests.

As she started singing the people began to fall asleep and cobwebs covered and spread over them. At the royal table Connor and the others also fell asleep.

While she walked closer to the table, the sorceress shed her disguise and became an old woman. She then drew a knife and readied herself to throw it at Connor. But the moment she let go of the knife an amulet around the druid's neck reacted and started glowing. Instead of hitting him the knife stopped in midair and returned to its sender.

The moment the witch was hit, the guests woke up again.

"What kind of witchery is this? You said you had no magic and yet your amulet is glowing." Uther roared.

Connor however looked at the old woman and questioned "Why did you attack me?"

"Because your death would make the council see reason. There can be no peace with a Pendragon. We want revenge for our dead children, and so many others." screeched the dying old crone.

"Who is we?"

"That does not matter. But we will have our revenge." and with that said she died.

Incredulous Arthur turned to the druid and said "And how exactly are you planning to achieve peace if your own people don't even like the idea? Besides how did you stop the knife?"

"Not many of us have succumbed to the path of revenge, but I agree that this is a problem. I did not stop the knife it was my amulet. It has been charged with a limited number of spells in case of an attack it reacts and protects me temporarily. Now if you'll excuse me I have to contact the elders and inform them of the recent events."

"Wait." Uther commanded "Due to the fact that this... woman said there would be coming more I would be inclined to allow another druid to enter Camelot. He would be responsible for the protection of both sides during the negotiations. In fact I insist on a protector, if this shall continue."

Connor contemplated the request and announced before he left the hall "Very well, I will ask for assistance."

* * *

_Connors room_

Holding up the amulet he began to chant "**áblícan ær mec, rædgift". **

Slowly shadows appeared before him, which then became the faces of the elders.

"Why do you call already" they asked in unison.

"Unforeseen complications have arisen." Connor continued to explain the recent events to them and relayed the condition of the king.

"Ahh, they have shown themselves…then it is time…we grant the request of the king, but for this we will expect a favor in return…we will send Emrys…"

* * *

**Review please? =) **

******"áblícan ær mec, rædgift = appear before me elders"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here comes the next ch, hope you'll like it **

**and thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted or put this story as a favorite =) love you all^^**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything **

**Chapter 2**

On the next day Connor announced the decision of the council in front of the whole court, but of course he did not tell them everything that had transpired last night.

"The elders agreed that a protector is needed and they already chose someone..."

"Fantastic. So let's start with the..." Uther began.

"however" the tall druid continued "a favour will be asked of Camelot in return. Furthermore the decisions of this protector are his and his alone and no-one is to interfere."

Uther leaped out of his chair and shouted furiously "This is outrageous, completely unacceptable. I will not have a druid doing whatever he wants in my kingdom."

"You named your condition yesterday; this is part of the condition. You want protection from magic? You want to achieve peace? Then you will have to accept this. I give you my word that the warrior who is coming here will not use this to his advantage. He comes to protect us all and he is under strict orders not to do anything to harm Camelot or its people." Connor replied calmly.

"Fine but if there are any doubts about his...intentions, I will make sure he is punished accordingly." the king stated. "Now when is he going to arrive?"

"Today."

"Alright, and when exactly is that going to be? I cannot say I am a fan of people appearing in my throne room whenever they want."

Connor grinned slightly, and said "You need not worry my lord, he is always using the old fashioned way."

"_**Old fashioned way..?"**_ repeated Arthur with a questioning frown.

"Yes, Sire...he walks."

At this announcement the entire court looked puzzled.

"Ahm isn't this guy supposed to...you know...actually have magic, so why on earth would he walk all the way?" Arthur exclaimed while thinking to himself that maybe this protector wasn't such a good idea after all.

"You see...he says he enjoys the landscape."

* * *

In the meantime not too far away a tall, young man walked in the direction of Camelot.

He had already spent several hours on the road, but he still wasn't tired at all; especially now that he could 'nearly' see the castle. Only another one or two hours and he would finally enter the famous city of Camelot. Oh he couldn't wait to see it...

* * *

_One or two hours later_

It was splendid; all the little houses close to the castle; all kinds of people running around everywhere and of course a really big market. He would like it here, he was sure of that at least.

So transfixed on the various stalls of the market he forgot to look where he was going and promptly ran into someone.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking, are you all right?" he asked the woman who he had just knocked over.

"Yes, I am fine." she replied "Are you new in town, I have never seen someone like you before, not that I think you're strange I just meant..." looking uncomfortable she stopped herself.

Looking down at his clothes and then grinning brightly the young man said "I'm Merlin and yes I am new in town, I just arrived. Are my clothes that unusual or is it just the neckerchief?"

"No no they're fine and it's very nice." She assured him immediately "My name is Guinevere, but everyone calls me Gwen."

"Nice to meet you, Gwen. Maybe you could help me? I am supposed to meet up with the druidic ambassador, but I don't actually know where he is. So..." questioned Merlin.

Gwen was a little bemused by this statement, what would someone like Merlin want from the ambassador? But nevertheless she provided him with directions and after wishing him good luck, they went their separate ways.

* * *

_Castle Courtyard_

As everyday Prince Arthur and his 'friends' were training, or rather bullying some servant boy. This consisted of the servant running around with the target, while Arthur kept throwing knifes at it and laughed with his companions.

"Come on, can't you run a little faster" taunted the prince.

While speeding up, the servant stumbled and fell to the ground still carrying the target.

Of course this only triggered another fit of laughter from the present sons of noble men as well as some insults and mocking comments. "Well get up or do you want to polish my boots, while you're down there?" "Maybe he doesn't know how without his mummy helping him"

Blushing crimson the servant got up and after a pointed glare from the prince he bent down to pick up the target as well. But before he could get it a foot suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere and stood on the object.

"Come on, that's enough. You've had your fun my friend." said the recently arrived man.

"Do I know you?" asked Arthur and approached the newcomer.

"I'm Merlin."

"So I don't know you."

"No."

"Yet you call me your friend and interrupt my training. I find that very rude."

"Yes, and throwing knifes at servants is so polite. My mistake I could never have a friend who's such an arse." Merlin stated bluntly.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" questioned a rather angry prince.

"Nah, and I don't really want to know. So if you'll excuse me I've got better things to do." With that said Merlin turned around grinning madly and started to walk away. Not really liking the outcome of this conversation Arthur tried to grab Merlins arm and turn him around, when Merlin spun his head back with his eyes a bright shade of gold, and said warningly "I wouldn't if I were you."

Arthur took a step back and eyed him warily. Now really leaving the square Merlin stated over his shoulder "By the way only my friends call me Merlin, so for you it's Emrys."

* * *

**Review? pleeease**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thx Thx to everyone again (reviews, alerts, favorites) you make my day **

**and don't forget there`s a liillte blue button at the end *hints* =D**

**okayy so here goes **

**Chapter 3**

_Connors Room_

As the negotiations had not yet started Connor had nothing to do and was starting to get bored, while waiting for the reinforcement. Of course he could have gone out and explored the town, but he didn't really think he would receive a warm welcome from the townspeople. So he had stayed inside all afternoon and was growing more and more restless, especially since Emrys was supposed to have already arrived. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear the door opening and closing, nor did he notice the person now standing in his chambers.

"You know you really should pay more attention to your surroundings" scolded his guest mockingly, which had the effect of making Connor jump and whirl around "even more so now that you are in the castle of your enemy and basically unprotected, except for your little toy."

"Gods, Emrys you nearly gave me a heart attack!" squealed the startled druid.

"Yeah... well...so I'm here, you can start your little talks with the king now, while I keep you all safe."

"Right, great then we should probably tell the court you're here and that we can start immediately." already walking to the door he stopped and turned back while questioning "Oh and did the council ask you to perform the trials to ascertain their potential as allies?"

"Yes they have and I will, don't worry. This is not the first time I was responsible for the trials. But I must say up til now I'm not really impressed by the knights of Camelot, none of them show any of the seven virtues. In fact, it seems quite a bit of work is coming my way."

"Really none? Wow that's bad, normally you see at least some from the start."

"Actually, I met someone who I believe has potential, but it is buried **deep deep **down." replied Merlin while rolling his eyes and remembering the blonde from the square.

* * *

_Throne Room_

King Uther was sitting on his throne, thinking about the recent events and the hopefully soon arrival of this Emrys, when his son came in looking furious.

Rushing to his king's side he demanded harshly "I want Emrys thrown into the dungeons, now."

His rather bemused father figured it was best to ask what he was talking about, so Arthur told him the story of his little encounter in the courtyard and repeated his request.

"Wait, did you just say he's already here in Camelot, because I would have thought him to announce his arrival to the king first, like it is normally done. But it seems druids do not have..." began the king angrily, but was interrupted by the entry of the two druids.

"What don't we have...my lord?" replied Merlin casually.

Keeping his face stern Uther simply said "Manners."

"Ah well you see I thought it would be best for Connor to join us as he is the only one able to confirm my identity. As for the...unfortunate...incident in the courtyard" at this he looked amused at Arthur "I did not plan to interfere in such trivial matters, and I did not know it was your son, my lord, acting in such an... appalling manner..., therefore I suggest we forget that and concentrate on our collaboration." During his little speech Arthur started to look like he was about to try to murder the druid, but the king simply ignored this and agreed to start anew.

"Thank you. Well then... I am Emrys, obviously, and I have been asked to come here to ensure everyones safety as you already know. To do this I'd like to be given a position in the royal household as it would be a lot easier for me to protect you, when our enemies do not know who I am. In addition it would be best to use my real name Merlin instead of my druidic alias."

"I thought only your friends call you _Mer_lin." taunted the angry prince.

"Usually, yes, and don't worry you can still call me Emrys when no-one's around" mocked Merlin.

Ignoring the little staring battle of the two Uther questioned warily "Why is it easier? And isn't there the possibility that they already know who you are, and how you look like?"

"Not many druids have actually seen me or know how I look like and practically no one is aware of my real name. These...let's say rebels have no idea that I was sent here, but they'll find out that someone is protecting you and consequently try to get rid of me, which will prove quite difficult when I'm hidden. And as a member of the staff I can blend in more easily. So this measure will enable me to protect all of you even better, and I wouldn't be so bored when no one is attacking."

Agreeing with the advantages, Uther contemplated the free positions in the staff and came up with the perfect solution to not only fulfil the druid's request, but also keep an eye on him in the same time. Very pleased with himself he announced "Then you shall become my son's manservant." which lead to a quite incredulous look on the princes and the warlocks face.

"Oh dear." muttered Merlin and for once Arthur could only agree.

* * *

**Review? pleeeaase **

**sry, little bit boring I think but needed =) **


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

**Hope you like it =)**

**Thx again^^ (reviews/alerts/..)**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything**

**Chapter 4**

On the next day an interesting sight greeted the knights on their way to the training area. A very desperate looking Prince Arthur stood over his new manservant, who could be found lying on the ground in a heap of scattered armour. The usually emotionally controlled prince seemed to experience a kind of breakdown; apparently over the clumsiness of his new servant.

Of course none of them knew of the previous events of that morning... and what a morning it had been...

It all started with Merlin's simple task of waking Arthur up and bringing him breakfast. So maybe Merlin shouldn't have unceremoniously yanked the curtains open and shouted at the top of his voice "GOOD morning lazy daisy" or thrown water at the prince when he didn't get up, but how was he supposed to know that this wasn't appropriate.

Anyway, that point had driven home exceptionally fast as he soon found himself with a sword at his throat, not that he was really bothered by that or the murderous look on Arthurs face or the numerous death threats, but okay he got it.

Breakfast was another matter entirely.

"What is this?" asked a still seething Arthur "You can't really expect me to eat that!"

"Why not it's bread, ham and cheese, where's the problem?" replied Merlin innocently.

"The problem is that it's one slice of bread and tiny pieces of ham and cheese. I have training today, I'm not eating again until mid-afternoon."

"I thought that is enough, as we have to keep you in good shape. We certainly can't have Camelots best knight getting fat, now can we."

Stopping the goblet, which was thrown at him, with a golden glow of his eyes, Merlin gleefully thought to himself 'Oh I love this job already.'

In the meantime it occurred to Arthur that he now had the authority to order the annoying man around. 'He won't know what hit him' thought Arthur mentally rubbing his hands together.

After eating his 'breakfast' the blonde decided that it was time to let his servant know what chores he would have to do.

"So today you'll clean my chambers and my boots, polish my armour, muck out the stables, wash my clothes and sharpen my sword, of course first of all you're going to attend to me during my training." Envisioning the impertinent warlock working until the wee hours of the next morning, (blissfully forgetting the fact that Merlin could do all that with a wave of his hand), Arthur had to keep from grinning and prepared to get dressed.

_A few minutes later_

"_MER_LIN!"

"What?"

"Well assist me."

"With what"

"Dressing."

"What for? Haven't you learned how to dress yourself yet?"

"Of course I can dress myself, but it's part of your job to help me. So get me my jacket"

"Okaay, coming."

After this Arthur and Merlin walked to the armoury to get everything for the training. Interestingly Merlin didn't seem to be able to walk on a straight surface without stumbling; and additionally he managed to drop things more than once.

"You idiot!" exclaimed a very angry prince after Merlin dropped his sword...again. "How is it that you could walk perfectly fine yesterday, without falling or bumping into people and today you can't do it?"

Leaning closer Merlin whispered "That's all part of the disguise." Luckily for him Arthur didn't notice the mischief in his eyes or the fact that he had to keep himself from laughing out loud. He just enjoyed annoying his new master too much.

* * *

In the meantime Connor, the king and his advisors started the negotiations for the treaty. For several hours they talked, shouted and rarely agreed on something.

After this first session Connor was quite sure that this treaty would take quite some time. Retiring to his chambers in the late afternoon he was surprised to see Merlin there.

"Don't you have chores to do or something else?" asked the tired druid while sitting down.

"Don't worry I'm working right now." while stating this, the warlock looked rather pleased with himself. "I'm currently washing Arthur clothes, polishing his armour and cleaning his room."

"Aren't you supposed to blend in, you know not use your magic..."

"Nah, don't worry no one will find out. Anyway, I just came to tell you that I will use the upcoming tournament for the first trial."

"Makes sense, how better to determine courage than in a situation of combat." mused Connor.

"Exactly, but I am not really worried about this one. It's the easiest virtue to have and to prove. Well except maybe for dependability... I always wanted to exchange that one with wit, but the council wouldn't let me." sighing Merlin got up and left.

* * *

_The tournament_

On the first day of the tournament the contestants were lined up in front of the king's seat in the arena, next to him on the right was the Lady Morgana, his ward, and on the left Connor. Welcoming the noble men and wishing them good luck Uther sat down in his throne like chair.

In the stands right of the podium sat Gwen, who in the past week had become a good friend of Merlin, they could often be seen chatting amicably in between chores.

Merlin, who in public still played the clumsy fool, had to assist Arthur during his rounds, but made sure to keep an eye on all of his protégées, especially now that foreign knights had come to Camelot.

He watched the opening ceremony and immediately picked up small traces of magic from not one but two of the visiting knights. Concentrating he followed one trace back to a shield, which had three painted snakes on it, and belonged to a knight called Valiant. The shield was enchanted; Merlin could now hear the snakes hiss under the surface and waiting to be freed.

The second trace was even smaller, but he still managed to ascertain its origin. This time it was the sword of ...well the guy with the black hair and beard. It seemed the rebels had finally made their next move.

After the little speech Merlin watched as the contestants left the arena to prepare for their first round. He swiftly turned and went to Arthur, who would be waiting for him already. Entering the tent Merlin noticed that despite his earlier claims that he didn't get nervous, the prince appeared rather tense.

"Finally" exclaimed Arthur "What took you so long? Did you fall on your face again?"

Merlin was about to tell him what he had found out, but stopped himself. Maybe it was better not to say anything. "Just admiring the arena. So you ready?"

Arthur simply ignored the question, picked up his sword and walked out of the tent to his first battle, Merlin followed close behind.

* * *

**Review =)**

**...and if anyone has an idea for the points of the treaty pleeease let me know, I got none^^**


	5. Chapter 4 Part 2

**hope you'll like it **

**my first fighting scenes are in this ch and i'm not really happy with them, but well...^^**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Chapter 4 Part two**

The first fights were rather boring; with Arthur striking down his opponent with a well aimed punch in his face, ending the round before it really begun and with uneventful fights between some of the foreign knights.

In the fifth round Valiant entered the arena. His opponent was a young, skilled knight from Mercia. Both knights seemed to be equally matched, but the longer the round went on, the more dominant became the young Mercian. Blow after blow Valiant was forced back, until he was nearly pressed against the railing between the stands and the arena. It was in that moment that Valiant made his move turned quickly and used his shield to push his enemy against the railing. Unbeknownst to the other observers Merlin could feel him calling the snakes out of the shield to use their poison to incapacitate the young knight. After pretending to hit him with the hilt of his sword, to cover his use of magic, Valiant let him drop to the ground. The crowd cheered and the devious man left the arena again.

Gaius, responsible for the injured, immediately rushed forward and took care of the fallen knight, who was then carried to the infirmary.

Merlin knew he had about a day to heal him; therefore he stayed for the next fight, which was between Arthur and the second rebel. He was especially curious about the spell on the sword, as he was not yet able to determine its purpose.

After the starting signal Arthur circled his enemy and waited for his first move. The black haired man struck promptly, but the blonde easily deflected his sword and used his momentary imbalance to push him aside. Arthur then began his offensive, raining blow after blow on the other man.

On the sidelines Merlin felt the magic coming forth during this assault and watched as the sorcerer managed to break Arthur's sword with a well aimed blow. Arthur was now unarmed, but still continued to fight. Merlin now knew that the sword had been enchanted to cut through armour and weapons and without wasting time he counteracted the spell. He murmured "**áberstan**" and with a golden flash of his eyes the enchanted sword shattered.

Arthur while not really sure what had just happened, grasped this opportunity to defeat his confused enemy. The crowd cheered loudly and Arthur raised his arm in victory before leaving the battle ground.

Merlin watched him with a grin on his face and followed the stretcher, which carried the rebel to the infirmary. Gaius was rushing around the room and taking care of his numerous patients. When he noticed the newcomer, he made his way over and intended to take care of his wounds.

"Don't bother." told him the warlock, who had until now gone unnoticed.

Raising his eyebrow the physician said "Excuse me?"

"He will be executed anyway, so don't waste your supplies." Explaining the situation to the stunned old man, he went to stand next to the unconscious man and lifted his hands to both sides of his face.

"What are you doing?" asked Gaius interested.

"Finding out who they are, what they want, how many there are,... you know the usual"

Under Gaius observation and after making sure that no-one was watching the young warlock began to chant.

"**ácýðan mec hwæne ðu cunnan**" eyes glowing a fierce gold, Merlin entered the rebels mind and searched for his hidden knowledge. He was abruptly assaulted by hundreds and thousands of different images. Using his power to slow the flow of memories he made his way through to those he was looking for. He found himself standing in a clearing with more than a dozen people scattered around. Unfortunately most of them were wearing long cloaks with a hood drawn up to hide their faces.

The current conversation seemed to be about the infiltration of the tournament, which now had already happened, so it wasn't of any use to him. Skipping forward again he hoped to at least find out where they were, but he soon discovered that even that would be of no use to him as the location was changed every third day and only told to those present. As he was unable to get any useful information Merlin made to withdraw from the rebel's mind, when he caught a glance of a familiar face. '_Nimueh' _

He should have known she would be with them, leaving at last his eyes became blue again. He turned to the still watching Gaius and informed him of the new insights. After that he looked out the window and realized that the fight between Arthur and Valiant would start in a few minutes. So he quickly went to the young Mercian knight and murmured "**gelácnian"**. The effect was immediate, colour returned to the man's face and he no longer writhed in pain.

After a nod to the astonished physician Merlin left the infirmary and returned to the arena just in time to adjust Arthur's armour one last time and watch him enter.

Valiant attacked first, which led to a fierce exchange of blows. Throughout the battle Arthur held his ground and showed his immense skill, Valiant was more often than not forced to be defensive, unable to land a strike himself.

After a particular strong blow Valiant stumbled back and Merlin used that moment to expose him, while Arthur was out of range of the snakes teeth. "**babej odofei arisan quicken**"

The snakes emerged from the shield and a startled Valiant exclaimed "I didn't summon you."

The audience gasped and Uther jumped to his feet and screamed "Sorcery". Arthur ignored all that and concentrated on the snakes, which now attacked hissing. Only a single circular motion of his sword later the snakes lay on the ground beheaded. Moving fast the prince rushed forward and rammed his sword through Valiant and killed him.

The blonde then looked into the direction of Merlin, who was grinning madly, and rolled his eyes. Of course the annoying man had known, inclining his head a little he showed his thanks and then turned back to the cheering crowd.

In the meantime Merlin used his magic again to let the council know that courage had been proven and quite remarkable at that.

'_One down, six to go.'_

_

* * *

_

**Review? =) =) **

_**áberstan = break**_

_******ácýðan mec hwæne ðu cunnan = Show me what you hide**_

_**********gelácnian = heal**_

_**************babej odofei arisan quicken = ? (taken from the episode) **_


	6. Chapter 5

**okaay next chapter **

**Thx again for the reviews and more pls :D**

**also a massive thanks to Notquitebezerk for the idea for the treaty point =) =) **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Chapter 5**

Directly after the tournament Merlin, Connor, Arthur, Uther and the council members, who knew who Merlin was, met in the throne room to discuss the latest events. After telling them what had happened in more detail Merlin presented the information he had extracted from the rebels mind.

"While I was not able to determine their whereabouts or future plans, I managed to at least identify one of their members. It seems that the priestess Nimueh is one of them."

On his throne Uther paled, but only Merlin was aware of that as most of the present were looking at him. The king managed to get his reaction under control quickly and when his son turned to him he was already his stern self again.

Merlin continued "I would suggest we wait for an explicit attack of her, because framing a priestess of the old religion without solid proof is like signing your own death sentence, as the council does not appreciate such actions, especially in times like this."

There was a murmur of agreement and as everyone was already present it was also decided to resume the negotiations for the treaty. Until now the only points in there were that neither would attack the other; and that disagreements would be solved in a combat of words instead of swords.

Todays attack had now provided Uther with another point for the treaty, but he was quite sure that this one would prove to be difficult to implement.

"As we have seen today sorcerers can easily infiltrate our kingdom and none of us are able to realise the danger. Therefore I must insist on the identification of all magic users, when they are in my territory." stated Uther with vehemence.

Connor immediately jumped out of his chair, denied the necessity of this and struggled to keep his temperament in check as he replied "This will never be accepted. We are not going to be marked like animals. Even the suggestion goes against the idea of equality."

Merlin, who had stayed to listen for once, was not able to control his feelings so well. After the proclamation of his fellow druid he stood up and let his magic take over. With a blazing of golden eyes every window of the room exploded and a strong wind picked up, quickly followed by the crash of hundreds of lightnings in the sky above, which had been clear only seconds before.

While the non-druids seeked cover and fumbled for their weapons, he went to Connors side and declared quietly "Should you ever even think about proposing that again, there will be nothing left for the rebels to destroy or kill, is that clear!" and without waiting for an answer he and Connor left the room. As soon as he was gone the magical manifestations stopped.

Arthur stared after them quite impressed and had to finally admit to himself that maybe Emrys was stronger than he looked.

"That was not one of your best ideas, father." scolded the blonde

Silently Uther had to agree, but he would never openly concede that.

* * *

The next few days were very tense. The negotiations for the treaty were stopped for the time being as the king still tried to find a way to apologize for his proposal without actually apologizing. The druidic ambassador could often be seen wandering around the castle with a grim look on his face and giving everyone the silent treatment. The only one he talked to these days was Emrys.

Interestingly Arthur and Merlin continued their former banter and mocking without having any problems. Nearly every day they could be seen walking somewhere, while exchanging insults or laughing together.

After another three days Uther finally pulled himself together and mumbled an apology to the druids, whereupon the negotiations resumed, but still with a dulled atmosphere.

_

* * *

_

_Two weeks later_

In the early hours of the morning Arthur and some of his knights went hunting. Merlin, lazy servant extraordinaire according to the blonde, refused to accompany them in favour of sleeping in.

So Arthur was alone... well not alone with the seven other knight, but alone...bored in another word. He had become quite used to the constant chatter and mocking of his manservant. Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts the prince signalled his companions to split up and search for something to hunt.

Now really alone on his path Arthur moved forward and soon found himself in a dense part of the forest surrounded by high trees. He focused on the sounds around him and stocked when he heard a twig snap to his far right. Turning in that direction he made his way past the trees and stopped dead at what he saw. A few meters in front of him was a unicorn. He immediately loaded his crossbow, aimed and released the bolt.

Only a moment later Merlin bolted upright in his bed. He could feel the manifestation of a curse around Camelot and following its source he found a dead unicorn next to a victorious Arthur.

"Fool, what have you done."

* * *

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**ohh and i looked for a beta, but i can't decide, there are just tooo many of you, ...**

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**(mostly grammar and story flow(or whatever that is called^^))**


	7. Chapter 6

**Thx for the reviews, really appreciate the feedback =) **

**and special thanks to Dawn that shines for becoming my beta **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Chapter 6**

Merlin was standing on the battlements above the courtyard and watched the return of the hunting party. One of the knights carried the horn of the unicorn like a newfound treasure.

"There is nothing we can do, is there?" asked the young the warlock as he turned to the man who had just appeared next to him. Anhora, the keeper of the unicorns, simply shook his head and looked at the 'stolen' horn sadly.

"You know as well as I do that, except for the one who triggered the curse, no-one is able to lift it. Not even you, Emrys, with all your power, can do anything to change that. So please stop fighting the curse with your magic, it's not going to work."

"Yeah, I thought so, but it was worth a shot."

"The tests will begin soon. I leave it to you to inform the prince of that," and with that said Anhora disappeared.

Merlin sighed heavily and left his viewpoint to join the others in the throne room. All the while he hoped that Arthur was ready for what was coming.

* * *

_Throne Room_

Arthur was being congratulated by the king for his rare catch when Merlin and Connor, who he had picked up and informed on the way, entered the room quietly and waited for the little, improvised welcoming ceremony to end. All people present seemed to be quite impressed by their prince's kill, except for the physician, Gaius, who stood in silence and looked rather displeased. Merlin assumed that he was probably the only one in the whole of Camelot who still knew the legends about unicorns.

After all of the servants and lesser noble men had left, Connor spoke up from the back of the room. "I will leave Camelot now." This statement gave the druid the undivided attention of the remaining court rather quickly.

A very confused Uther exclaimed, "I don't understand, we have not yet finished the treaty and..."

Interrupting him Merlin said, "Well you see Connor doesn't really fancy starving or dehydration, thinking about it... neither do I, but unfortunately I'm 'The Protector' which means I have to stay."

"What are you even talking about?" questioned Arthur while rolling his eyes, "We're not going to starve, we have plenty of food in our stores and the harvest this year is promising."

"I'm just talking about the famine and drought that's coming your way. Oh, and congratulations for killing the unicorn." After clapping mockingly Merlin continued, "I hope being able to show off your little souvenir is going to be worth the suffering of your people. And there I was, just about to allow you to call me Merlin officially, what was I thinking..."

"Suffering, drought, famine... I don't understand," repeated a rather bemused looking prince.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. Unicorns are the purest and most innocent magical creatures. In former times hunters searched for them on purpose, it was like...the ultimate kill for them, to take the life of something so beautiful. Therefore the most powerful followers of the old religion united their powers for one massive spell to ensure the safety of unicorns. From that day on whoever killed a unicorn unleashed a curse on his entire land. The hunting stopped immediately after the full extent of the repercussions became clear. Now centuries later that knowledge has become myth, a legend and only few believe in it. Nevertheless the curse is still active and is now upon Camelot," explained Merlin calmly and with a sad look on his face.

During his explanation Arthur had sat down on a chair and paled visibly. At the end of it he looked as if he was going to throw up. "But... I didn't...no… I..." pulling himself together he demanded anxiously, "You can stop this, can't you? Please do something. I didn't know… I'm sorry."

"No I can't, only you can do that. You will be tested, how and when I don't know, but if you prove yourself to be pure of heart then the curse will be lifted." After saying that Merlin turned to Connor, who nodded, and with a golden flash of his eyes the other druid disappeared. "So, for the time being only I will remain in Camelot."

Arthur looked crestfallen, but now there was also a spark of hope in his eyes. Uther, however did not really believe what he had just been told, but before he could voice his doubts a guard burst into the room. Out of breath he announced that all the crops had just died and that the water pumps were filled with sand. The king ordered the immediate rationalisation of the remaining food and water as well as a curfew.

* * *

Two days later nothing had changed and Arthur was getting restless. Merlin had assured him countless times that the tests would come, but such a long time had passed already. He had to watch his people starve, just because of his own stupidity.

Now, late at night he was walking through the castle to make sure that everyone was obeying the curfew. He was so deep in his own thoughts he nearly missed the sound of steps coming from the grain stores. The blonde headed in that direction and found a farmer who was in the process of stealing food. Raising his sword Arthur confronted the man, but after the stranger had explained his situation and the need of his children Arthur decided to let him go and additionally gave him some of the reserved food.

Whereupon the man smiled slightly and announced before leaving, "You have shown yourself merciful and kind, my lord. This will bring its own reward."

While Arthur looked rather unimpressed, Merlin, who was watching through a mirror, grinned widely and thought _'Test one passed... thank god, because my throat is parched.'_

He was already turning away from the reflection, when suddenly a thought struck him _'Hmm, I think he has also just proven compassion. Not bad...and less work for me. Two down, five to go.'_

* * *

On the next day Merlin woke the prince in a rather interesting fashion. Instead of opening the curtains, he unceremoniously poured a bucket of water over him. The drenched prince shot out of the bed and was about to start screaming at his manservant, when he realised that there was water again.

"Yes! Wait a minute; you said I had to pass some test to lift the curse."

"You did… the first part anyway." At the blonde's confused expression, Merlin explained it to him and was rewarded with a satisfied smirk from the prince, who announced proudly, "I knew I could do it!" When Merlin just rolled his eyes the prince turned on him and declared, "and don't think I have forgotten the rude waking, you're going to the stocks for that."

"Yeah right, I'd like to see you try," mocked the warlock in return, which was followed by their usual bickering.

* * *

Arthur, elated by his success, decided that maybe he should leave the castle for a bit to find out what his second challenge was. So he ventured into the woods, close to where he had killed the unicorn, and simply wandered around. After half an hour or so he found a campsite, and there he met the man from last night. He soon discovered that the stranger had lied about his family and was a simple thief. When he started to mock the prince, Arthur snapped and attacked him. However, before he could reach his opponent he had already disappeared and in his stead stood an old man.

"You have failed the second test. You would kill a man to defend your pride, when his words would have done you no harm. The curse will remain upon Camelot," and with that he vanished.

Unbeknownst to a devastated Arthur, Merlin, who had been watching again, negotiated with Anhora and convinced the keeper to hold a final test.

* * *

As soon as the prince returned to the castle Merlin informed him of the final test and told him to go to the labyrinth of Gedref. Arthur left immediately, while Merlin went into the castle and asked Gwen if she would do him a favour.

Gwen, being Gwen, agreed and found herself only seconds later close to the shore of the sea next to a table with two chairs and two goblets on it.

'_Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?'_

Soon afterwards Arthur appeared and was not really pleased to see Gwen there, but after Anhora, who had materialised in the meantime, explained that she was part of the test Arthur sat down on the chair opposite of Gwen.

Anhora then explained the test, which consisted of the two goblets, one filled with a deadly poison and the other with a harmless liquid. All the water from both goblets had to be drunk, but each of them was only allowed to drink from a single goblet.

They both thought about a way around drinking the poison, but the only solution they could think of was to pour the liquid into one goblet, so only one of them would be at risk.

Gwen, who was really angry at Merlin by now, insisted on drinking it, as she was only a servant while Arthur was the crowned prince, but the blonde didn't want to hear it and drank it himself.

The effect was immediate; Arthur lost consciousness and fell off the chair. A very worried Gwen rushed over to him and was about to beg, when Merlin appeared next to Anhora. He assured the concerned maid that it was only a sleeping potion Arthur had drunk and that he would wake up soon.

In the meantime Anhora declared the curse lifted, because Arthur had shown that he was ready to die for his people and left.

After waking, the prince was told the good news and Merlin transported them back to the castle, where they were greeted by the cheerful inhabitants. Instead of joining the celebrations Arthur said he had to do something first. He took the unicorn's horn and left the city.

In the forest, he buried the horn and apologized for killing the unicorn and then watched in awe as the revived unicorn showed itself to him.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Still don't**

**Chapter 7**

In Camelot everything returned to normal now that the curse was lifted. Connor came back to resume the negotiations and all was peaceful and quiet...

"_MER_LIN!"

"What is it now, your pratness?"

Well almost all.

You just had to ignore the constant shouting and the bickering and the loud crashes whenever Merlin dropped something or ran into someone... but other than that it was a wonderful time.

And in Camelot when things were this nice, it was party time. The servants spent several hours preparing for a feast and decorating the great hall. Then in the evening the royalty gathered there and enjoyed a splendid meal, followed by dancing and the usual gossip.

It was a pleasant evening up to the moment a black knight crashed through a window and threw down his gauntlet in front of the king and his son. Before Arthur could bend down, Sir Owain, a young knight, picked it up and accepted the challenge, a fight to the death at noon on the next day.

After that the atmosphere was rather dulled.

Merlin, watching from among the serving staff, could tell that whoever that black knight was, he should be long dead. Only a very powerful sorcerer would have been able to conjure the spirit from its grave and he had a pretty good idea who did. Observing the reaction of the people present, he also noticed that Gaius and Geoffrey of Monmouth, the court genealogist, seemed to have recognized the crest of the knight. Both looked rather shocked, therefore Merlin assumed that they knew that this man should be dead. Already planning to visit them later on, he followed Arthur to his chambers to help him get ready for bed.

However, only seconds after they had arrived, Morgana and Gwen came and the former demanded that Arthur should take Sir Owain's place in the challenge, claiming that the young knight was not ready for such a fight and didn't consider the repercussions of his choice.

Arthur was aware of that himself, but the knight's code did not allow him to just take the man's place. Owain had made his decision. Rather furious Morgana left the room followed by Gwen.

Merlin, who had remained silent during the 'siblings' conversation, watched Arthur a little longer and decided that this time he would work with Arthur.

"Sir Owain will not fight tomorrow," stated the warlock. "You will."

"Did you not listen just now? The knight's code clearly says that..."

"The knight's code does not matter in a battle with a wraith, the dead do not fight fair, so why should we?"

"The dead?" Arthur, who had been pacing nervously, stopped and turned to Merlin with a questioning frown.

"Yes, whoever that was down there is not alive anymore. It is the spirit of a dead man conjured from his grave and it cannot die by using normal weapons."

"Ok, so what do we do?"

"We need to burnish a sword in a dragon's breath," explained Merlin seriously.

"You're kidding me, right? There are no dragons anymore; they all died a long time ago."

"All but one, the great dragon… the oldest of his kind is still alive, and he is the only one who can help us."

"Even if he's still alive, why would he help us? My father is responsible for the deaths of his brethren."

"Oh he will, believe me." Merlin looked at Arthur pensively and came to the conclusion that maybe it was time to trust at least someone. So after a few silent moments he continued, "I'll call Kilgharrah and he'll come, he has no choice."

"No choice... how powerful are you again? And while we're at it, you know I realized something when I was thinking about..."

"Wow, you're thinking, way to go."

Arthur only sent him one of his special glares and continued, "The day when you arrived. You said that only your friends call you Merlin."

"Yes and…?"

"Well Connor always said Emrys, and when my father asked you said no-one really knew your real name, which would mean that..." getting a little uncomfortable Arthur stopped himself and looked at Merlin, whose face had lost its usual grin.

"That I have no friends? Well let's just say aside from the people I've befriended in Camelot, I do not have... the habit of making friends easily."

"Why? I mean you're not the best manservant, but you seem to get along with people rather well."

"It is difficult to get to know someone, when they are afraid of you. The druids feel... uncomfortable around me. My powers are different than theirs; I am... a lot stronger and unpredictable at times. When I first came to the druids my skill was already beyond everything they had ever seen, therefore they rather avoided me or even worshipped me."

Arthur thought about what he had just been told and despite knowing that maybe he was crossing a line, he decided to dig a little deeper. Contemplating his words carefully he asked, "Where were you before you joined the druids?"

In the next few minutes Merlin said nothing. He was staring at the wall behind Arthur and weighed his options. He could say nothing, lie, or tell the prince the truth; making a decision he focused his gaze on Arthur and said, "You really want to know?" Arthur simply nodded and in reply Merlin told him to get comfortable, cause this could take a while.

Sitting down himself he began, "Once upon a time there was a little boy..."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 8

**okay soo hope you like it **

**thx for the reviews and please more =) **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Chapter 8**

"Once upon a time there was a little boy named Merlin. He and his parents, Balinor and Hunith, lived in a small village in the kingdom of Camelot.

From the day he was born the boy had a special gift, but that wasn't a real surprise as his father was a dragonlord; a man with the power to control dragons, a skill which is passed down from father to son.

Balinor, who chose not to live with his kin, still followed the traditions of his forefathers and brought his newborn son to the lake of Avalon, where he was blessed by the Sidhe and given his druidic alias by the great dragon, Kilgharrah. That very day the old and wise dragon told Balinor that his son was fated to become the most powerful warlock of all time, but also that his path would lead him through darkness.

The next year was a wonderful time for the little family, but then everything changed..."

* * *

_Castle of Camelot_

King Uther Pendragon was standing on the balcony above the courtyard and announced to his gathered people "Magic has proven to be evil. The followers and creatures of the old religion have hidden their malice and greed for power, but now I have seen their true faces. Therefore I decree the old religion outlawed. The druids, sorcerers, sorceresses, warlocks, witches and every other magical being will be hunted and burned on the pyre to clean their tainted souls in the fire."

* * *

The news spread fast among the people, but the killing squads were even faster. Every village in Camelot was visited by a contingent of knights, who were responsible for finding and 'disposing' of the magical community.

* * *

Balinor was running, praying to get home before the knights arrived. He crashed through the door of their home and startled Hunith, who was cooking dinner.

"Balinor what...?"

"There's no time, get Merlin and follow me," already in the process of packing a little bag, Balinor explained the recent developments. Hunith immediately picked her son up, grabbed some personal things and ran after her husband when he left the house.

Hurrying along the fields they could see the knights breaking into homes, dragging terrified people out and knocking them down, if they resisted.

Balinor kept running, while he shouted at the sky in the tongue of the dragons. Unfortunately this didn't go unnoticed and some knights turned in their direction and started to chase them. Knowing that Hunith would not be able to outrun them with Merlin in her arms Balinor stopped and told her to go without him, he would try to stop them. The great dragon would be coming for them, to take them to safety.

Hunith looked torn, but she only hesitated a second before she kissed her husband and started to run again. Balinor drew his sword and readied himself for the attackers, knowing that his small magical skill would not be of any use in this fight.

When the six knights reached him, he fought with all he had to stop them long enough for his family to escape. He was outnumbered, but still managed to kill three of his opponents, when one of them stabbed him in the back. Using his last strength he whirled around and rammed his sword into the man behind him, before he swayed and fell; dead moments before he hit the ground. He was no longer able to hear the deafening roar that suddenly filled the sky. Kilgharrah swept down, while breathing fire on the remaining two men. Fuelled by his rage the dragon killed every single one of the squad, before he fulfilled the last wish of his murdered brother. He landed next to the crying Hunith and her son letting them ride on his back to a safer place.

_

* * *

_

_10 years later_

In the village of Ealdor it was a common sight to see Merlin and Will, who had been Merlin's best friend for years, running around and planning mischief. On this day however the two boys decided to go to the river and play there.

Walking along the bank of the river, they searched for something to play with. Will noticed something shiny on the other side and decided to jump over to see what it was. Taking a few steps back he ran up to the bank and then jumped. Unfortunately he had miscalculated the distance and fell into the river, which had a very strong current. He was caught by the current immediately and carried away. Merlin ran after him and not knowing what else to do, he used his magic instinctively to get Will out of the water and onto the river bank.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked worriedly. Looking up in shock Will stared at Merlin for a moment before he jumped up and ran away screaming, "Sorcerer! Merlin is a sorcerer. Help! Help!"

The young warlock's eyes filled with tears and he looked after his friend with despair. Only a second later he realized what that meant and ran home. His mother had told him not to show or tell anyone about his magic, but what was he supposed to have done instead? Reaching his home he shouted for his mom and when she came he told her everything. Hunith got very pale and just ran into the house. Minutes later she came back with a little bag and together they left quickly.

Several hours later they were far enough from the village to rest. Hunith knew that it was time to tell Merlin what had happened to his father and explain to him why he was not allowed to use magic.

Her son listened carefully and afterwards he vowed to himself that no one would hurt his mother ever again. Knowing that he was not yet powerful enough to keep her safe on his own, he called upon a power he didn't even realize he had, and summoned Kilgharrah. When the dragon arrived Merlin asked him to train him and to find a place where his mother would be safe. The wise dragon agreed to take the young warlock under his wing and found a druidic village for Hunith to live in.

For the next years Merlin, or rather Emrys, stayed with his kin, the dragon, and learned; mastering long forgotten skills and acquiring knowledge beyond comparison.

About twelve years later he finished his training and joined his mother in the village. He soon discovered that the other inhabitants, while always friendly, were afraid of him and his immense power. So he was mostly by himself and eventually he moved into a house hidden in the nearby forest, to be rid of the staring and the fear.

* * *

"...then about half a year later the council asked me to come here. So that's my story," ended Merlin.

Arthur sat still, not knowing what he should say, and thinking about everything he had just heard. In the end he simply went for the obvious, "I'm sorry... for what happened to you and about your father."

"It's not your fault."

"No, but my fathers, if he hadn't started the war none of it would have happened."

"It doesn't matter."

"How can you be so calm about it, if I were you I would have killed Uther a long time ago."

"My mother always taught me that revenge is not the way to show people that we are not evil."

"..." Arthur could not understand how someone who had been through so much could forgive so easily, and even protect his 'enemies'.

"What I still don't understand is how my father managed to kill the dragons. I mean they seem... invincible and powerful."

"There were only a few dragonlords, but it needed only one to summon the dragons and kill them, only one to betray his kin for gold. The great dragon survived only because he had a direct link to my family as it was, and still is, the purest and oldest line of dragonlords. Without our consent no one could call him. Anyway, the traitor was killed by your father's men after he had fulfilled his part… and so were all the others, which means I'm the last one."

The prince was more and more shocked about the past actions of his father and started to believe that maybe all these years Uther was wrong, which would mean the king had killed hundreds and thousands of people for nothing. But there must be a reason behind his decisions, right?

Merlin had already gotten up and said, "So you go sleep and I'll get the weapon. See you in the morning, prat." Dodging the pillow that was thrown at him, he thought to himself that he had made the right decision.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 9

**little short and not my best ch...**

**ohh and in case someone wants to know... Merlin is 23 in my story, now guess how old Arthur is..?^^**

**Thx again for all the great reviews, really appreciate it =) **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyything**

**Chapter 9**

After Merlin left Arthur's chambers he went to the library, where he could hear Geoffrey and Gaius talking about the black knight.

"...no one else ever used that crest." stated the genealogist.

"But that would mean..." Gaius started incredulously.

Merlin took that moment to make his entrance and continued the physician's sentence, "that he has risen from the dead. Yeah, that's what a wraith usually does." Startled, both men whirled around and faced the newcomer.

"So, who is it?" the young warlock asked. Gaius and Geoffrey hesitated for a moment before the latter pointed to the book in front of him, which was opened and showed the crest of the knight.

"Tristan de Blois. Who's that and why would someone bring him back?"

"Tristan was Queen Ygraine's father and when he died he vowed to come back for his revenge."

Merlin raised an eyebrow imitating the physician, who had spoken, and said, "Let me guess... he blamed the king for his daughter's death, most likely challenged him, lost and died." Confirming his theory with a nod the two men were slightly surprised that Merlin had come to the right conclusion right away, but before one of them could ask any questions Merlin waved and left the library.

Gaius, who had watched the druid closely since he had arrived, couldn't help but think that maybe the past was not as secret as the king would like it to be.

* * *

Merlin's next stop was Gwen's house, where he asked her father, the blacksmith, for the finest sword he had ever made. Tomas was a little reluctant to give away his best work, but when Merlin told him that it was for the prince he handed it over with pride.

After thanking Tomas and giving him a compensation for his work, Merlin could finally make his way to the woods. In the forest he walked until he reached a clearing, where he used his gift to call the great dragon. Sitting down in the grass he laid the sword next to him and to pass the time, he would have to wait; he let himself fall into a trance. While he kept a part of his consciousness alert and trained on his surroundings, Merlin immersed himself into the world around him.

During his training it had taken him months to learn this old method of meditation. The feeling of unity with the earth, the elements and the free flowing magic had been too much for him to take; he had passed out immediately the first hundred or so times after reaching this state. But now it was like coming home; the whispering of the wind, the murmuring of the trees and the flow of magic through his very core it was exhilarating and calming at the same time.

Hours later Merlin could feel the change in his trance; the wind announced his arrival and the magic got even stronger. Leaving his trance and opening his eyes, he stood and watched Kilgharrah descend from the sky.

Upon landing the dragon spoke, "You called, little one."

Merlin didn't waste time with small talk, as he knew the dragon wouldn't appreciate it and simply picked up the sword and let it float in front of the dragon.

"A wraith has come to Camelot and I need your help to defeat it."

Kilgharrah simply looked at his former student and then breathed fire on the sword, which changed its appearance and made it unique. Returning it to Merlin he made to leave, but turned around again and stated, "You know of the consequences, if this should fall into the wrong hands. I trust you have someone who is worthy of wielding it." Already taking off he added, "and Emrys... the time is drawing short... they're coming..."

_'Yep, just wouldn't be him without a cryptic warning.'_

_

* * *

_

In the morning Merlin woke the prince in a normal fashion for a change and played the perfect servant, which led to a very suspicious Arthur.

"Okay... who are you and what have you done to my idiot of a servant?"

Merlin chose to ignore his royal pratness and helped Arthur into his armor. After finishing that, he got the new sword and held it up. Mesmerized by the blade the blonde made to take it, but Merlin took it out of his reach.

"What…?"

"I just remembered, I was supposed to find someone worthy of it... that rules you out... pity." Ignoring the other Arthur grabbed the sword and examined it, unaware of the approval in the warlock's eyes.

As it was nearly noon the two of them left and headed for the arena, where Arthur ordered a reluctant Sir Owain to stand down. Arthur took his place in the battle, surprising not only Morgana and Gwen, but everyone in the stands.

The fight itself was over quickly as the prince soon landed a lethal blow with his new sword and sent the wraith back into his grave. While walking out of the arena under the cheers of his people Arthur turned to a smirking Merlin, who held his hands up to take the sword and said, "Forget it, I'm not giving it back... ever!"

Laughing out loud, Merlin simply followed his annoying master/friend.

* * *

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	11. Chapter 10

**okay here comes the next (short) chapter =) **

**sorry for the long wait...**

**Thx for the reviews, they really motivate me so the more the better :D**

**Disclaimer: don't own anything**

**Chapter 10**

Returning from yet another one of the peace talks Connor entered his chambers and, as always, called upon the council to tell them the latest developments. Not that there had been many; it proved to be even more difficult than anticipated to come to any agreements. Additionally both sides grew impatient and there were still the rebels to be dealt with. It was frustrating.

"This is getting ridiculous," stated one of the elders, "Whatever we suggest, Uther disagrees. We're running out of time, Emrys was very clear about that, we cannot afford to continue the negotiations at this pace. Connor, you must speed things up, make it clear to them that time is essential."

Connor nodded and made to end the spell when another council member spoke up and questioned "What about the five remaining trials? Emrys has not reported to us in quite a while, are there any news?"

"Not that I know..." Connor stopped and turned to the right corner of his room where an unnatural wind had picked up seconds ago. Only moments later Emrys stood there and joined the conversation.

"Sorry, I forgot to let you know... another virtue was proven when the wraith was in Camelot. The prince has shown that his people can always depend on him and his support. As for the rest of the trials I am currently testing Arthur for humility. Unfortunately, it seems to be rather difficult for the pra...prince, but I'll keep trying." And with that said, the young warlock disappeared again.

* * *

The next few days Merlin's patience was tested vigorously.

_'Oh boy...how can someone have such a big ego? Humility... yeah right... what have I gotten myself into...'_

While cleaning after his master Merlin remembered the conversations he had had with Arthur and imitated the blonde's answers mockingly.

"I am the best swordsman... There's no one who can beat me in jousting... I am Prince Arthur the crowned prat of Camelot and my skills are only surpassed by the size of my enormous airhead..."

"Okay think Merlin think, what else can you try... subtle asking didn't work nor did being defeated in training as he always finds some sort of explanation... the sun blinded me... I was going easy on him... easy my ass..."

Merlin contemplated his next move when suddenly the door to the chamber was thrown open violently by an infuriated Arthur. While the prince rushed into his room he threw parts of his amour everywhere and started shouting at his bemused servant.

"How am I going to prove myself, if my opponents aren't trying their hardest? And on top of that everyone just tells me what I want to hear." Seething, Arthur paced up and down, "I just want to be treated like everyone else..."

Merlin raised his eyebrow and watched him pace. "I take it your jousting training didn't go well." Arthur simply glared at his servant and continued his ranting. Through this the other was able to surmise what had happened. During his jousting training one of his knights hadn't taken the opportunity to hit Arthur and subsequently the prince had found out that all of them were treating him... well like a prince. And let him win in tournaments, causing the blondes current mood.

"What exactly did you expect?" asked the warlock, incredulous, while forming an idea, "You are the prince of Camelot, the future king, do you really think your knights would risk injuring you? Don't be stupid. As long as you are you... and unfortunately you can't just swap place with someone."

The moment he said that Arthur stopped dead and a thoughtful expression replaced his frown, quickly followed by a grin.

"Yes I can!"

_'Bingo!'_ Merlin thought, smiling contently. And he started planning.

* * *

**Review please**

**...and i'll try to post the next one asap**


	12. Chapter 11

**Sooo...heres the next chapter...**

**and i'm really sorry for the long wait...but unfortunately holidays are over...=(**

**anyway thx for the reviews...and enjoy :D**

**Chapter 11**

_On the next day_

Merlin entered Arthur's room and came face to face with a nervously pacing prince, who stopped immediately and turned a questioning gaze at Merlin. The warlock had spent the rest of the day before and the previous hour with persuading Gwen to let the blonde stay with her, while he participated anonymously in the upcoming jousting tournament.

Merlin had not anticipated her reluctance nor her very good arguments, like, 'Are you mad; a whole week of fussing over him and cooking for him, while I still have to do my normal work.' or the 'Who'd want to live with Arthur?' But in the end his begging and puppy dog eyes had won.

So he could assure the prince that his accommodation was arranged, leaving out the fact that his host was less than happy.

"Good. Well, have you thought about an alibi for me leaving Camelot yet?" asked a content Arthur.

"How about you come up with that one yourself? I already thought about everything else... okay... by the way my mom always told me your face could get stuck like that if you do it too often." And there was the glare again; Merlin smirked while contemplating to freeze his face like that, but decided against it... for now.

"Actually I took care of that already. I asked a few wyverns to appear in one of the outer villages. A messenger should come in the next hours to tell the king the dreadful news. "

"Great... wait a second, you told some magical beasts to attack one of my villages?" Raising his voice to a shout Arthur continued, "Are you completely out of your mind? You can't just..."

"Oh shut up, prat. I never said that they attacked anyone; they flew over the village a couple of times, which by itself caused a panic." Arthur was about to retaliate at the insult when there was a knock on the door. A knight entered and told the prince that Uther had summoned him to the throne room in a matter of urgency.

The royal nodded and walked slowly to the door whereupon the knight turned to wait in the hallway. Arthur, who had only waited for that sped up, whacked Merlin on the head while walking past him and then stumbled when the latter gave him a shove with his magic in return. This resulted in a little shoving match on the way out of the room.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

In the woods near Camelot Arthur and three knights made their way toward the 'attacked' village. Unnoticed by the knights in front the blonde only followed them for about half an hour before he slowed his horse and silently disappeared into the forest, while another Arthur rode out of the woods to accompany the men. Observing Merlin's magically created imposter from his hideout he smiled smugly and made his way back to the city after the convoy was out of view.

The plan was working perfectly. Now all he had to do was wear a cloak with a hood and go to Gwen's house, where Merlin and his double would wait for him. Hopefully the idiot had picked a suitable substitute.

* * *

_Gwen's house_

Upon entering the maid's house Arthur stopped dead and stared at the man who stood in the middle of the room in horror. This had to be a joke! This hideous looking man couldn't be his double, could it? No, no not even Merlin had such a horrible sense of humor!

Trying to calm himself, Arthur looked away, but couldn't quite shake the image off. The malposition teeth, the bulging eyes, the... nose, and god he wasn't even able to describe that, not to mention the three-hundred pounds on his short body.

Summoning all of his courage the prince looked at him again, but unfortunately he still was the same. The prince opened his mouth to say something and shut it again simply speechless and very horrified.

The other man had watched the blonde closely through his little breakdown and finally collapsed on the floor laughing, Arthur's expressions had just been too good.

Several minutes later the nameless man managed to control his laughter enough to mutter something strange before cackling again. And under the blondes indignant glare the man changed into Merlin before his very eyes; a very amused Merlin.

"You should… haha... have... haha... seen your face. Priceless."

Arthur merely scowled, he was too relieved to shout or hit his manservant, but nevertheless he was going to pay him back in time. For now he decided to let Merlin think he won that round.

"So I take it you're going to transform into someone else and play the knight for whom I will joust." he stated matter of factly. "And please make sure to behave like a real knight when you're at it."

"No problem. I just have to be arrogant, condescending and thick."

"I'm a knight." replied Arthur sternly.

"There you go then." And seeing his friend's murderous glare Merlin smirked and disappeared before he could hit him.

* * *

_Next day, evening_

The first day of the tournament was over and of course Arthur had won all his rounds. Merlin, who wasn't really interested in this part of the events, but played his role perfectly, was currently talking to Gwen. He had really hoped that the prince had by now learned at least something about what it meant to be humble, but nooooo the dollop head had to prove how demanding he could be.

Instead of making Gwen's life easier by being quiet and modest he was constantly ordering her around. He didn't seem to understand that she deserved some free time, because according to what he heard and saw the times he scried, Arthur was a real pain in the ass.

But not only that… no… he also has to sleep on the only bed. Completely understandable, of course his royal backside needed the best comfort. By now Merlin thought about stopping the charade just to relieve Gwen of her royal houseguest, but sadly he had no other idea for the test so it had to continue.

The second day showed no improvements, but day three proved to be slightly better as Arthur seemed to slowly grasp the concept of helping. And after a particular lecture from Gwen, where she more or less set him straight, he suddenly was an angel. He even cooked for her... okay so maybe he ordered Merlin to get the food, but hey even the intention had to count for something.

In this evening after dinner the two had their first real conversation and Arthur gave Gwen her bed back and slept on the floor... almost... just on the tiny mattress he had Merlin conjure up for him.

The rest of his stay at Gwen's was harmonic. Merlin was actually kind of proud... of Gwen naturally; she had managed to turn the pompous ass into a human being... well more or less... by the time the tournament ended; with Arthur winning of course. So the warlock decided to let Arthur pass the test for humility.

_'Four down, three to go.'_

_

* * *

_

Arthur officially 'returned' on the next day having successfully 'killed' the wyverns that had just played dead for the knights to see their victorious leader.

After his report to the king, 'Arthur' walked to his chambers to retire, where the real prince hid and waited for his double to appear. Upon closing the door the false blonde vanished into thin air, having carried out his orders.

_"Handy,"_ thought the real prince before going to bed, thanking every god for his comfy, huge bed.

* * *

In the dead of the night a cloaked figure approached Camelot, using the moonless night to hide in the shadows. The guards the figure passed didn't see or hear anything, so unbeknownst to everyone it entered the castle and made its way to the prince's chambers. Sneaking into his room the cloaked person went to the sleeping prince and carefully put something under his pillow before it simply turned and left Camelot again.

* * *

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	13. Chapter 12

**okay next chapter is here :D **

**little boring I think but unfortunately i'm a little stuck right now..**

**anyway enjoy and pls review =) **

**Thx for reviews/alerts/favourites**

**Chapter 12**

On the next morning Merlin went to wake the prince, as usual, and got his breakfast on the way. After entering the blonde's chambers he only spared the sleeping Arthur a fleeting glance and set the tray with the food on the table before starting to clean a bit, with his magic of course. Not making any loud noises he managed not to rouse Arthur yet as he was early, which in itself was quite extraordinary. He never got up in time, not only to annoy his master, but also because he simply wasn't able to leave his warm, comfy bed in the morning.

When it was finally time to wake Arthur the servant approached the window and as always yanked the curtains open, while shouting "Rise and shine."

Merlin then turned to look at his master and fully expected 'The Glare,' followed by at least one insult. Instead nothing happened. The prince just lay there and didn't even move in the slightest.

"Arthur... HELLOOOO... time to get up…" rolling his eyes Merlin went to the bed to shake the prince awake. Still nothing.

"Arthur? Come on... this isn't funny..." getting worried the warlock bent down to examine Arthur more closely... and of course that was the exact moment the blonde's eyes snapped open. Startled by the others close proximity Arthur yelped and scrambled back hitting his head on the bedpost in the process.

"Oww, you idiot what the hell do you think you're doing?" and yep there it was, 'The Glare.'

Rolling his eyes Merlin retreated into the main room and said, "Exploring a new species, the _spoilinus Pratus_, newly discovered in this very castle; quite exciting, don't you think."

_Thump._

"Arthur?" The raven-haired man whirled around, rushed back, and found the prince lying on the floor looking miserable.

While helping Arthur up Merlin made sure to check his temperature and pulse, but everything seemed to be normal… except maybe for the fact that the blonde wasn't complaining about anything, talking back, or even bothered by Merlin's help.

Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

After the failed attempt to convince Arthur to stay in bed, Merlin had left him in the care of Sir Leon, whom he had secretly informed of the prince's state. Leon would watch over Arthur during the training session and shadow him afterwards.

In the meantime the druid hurried through the castle to the council chambers, where Uther, his advisors, and Connor conducted the negotiations. Without hesitation he slammed the door open, ignored the indignant yells, grabbed Connor and dragged him out; barely aware of the furious king demanding an explanation.

In the corridor Merlin made sure that no one was in sight before turning to his fellow druid and announcing, "We have a problem. Something is wrong with the prince..."

Connor looked confused and annoyed, "Surely you can take care of it on your own; the treaty is of utmost importance. It has already taken too long, but now we're finally making progress. I'd say another week and everything is settled. We can't afford another interruption."

"I know, don't worry. I only came here to tell you to keep them busy. I haven't been able to figure out what's wrong; I just have a really bad feeling."

"I really hope this is the last magical 'attack', if not I fear Uther will start to think his old motto _'Let's just kill them all'_ was best."

They shared a grave look before Connor returned to the talks, presenting a fake excuse, and Merlin once again ran through the castle, but this time headed to the training fields.

* * *

During the training Leon watched the prince like a hawk. While the blonde tried his best to conceal his condition from his fellow knights it was quite obvious that Arthur wasn't at his best. He kept losing his balance and subsequently lost most of his 'fights'. The other knights noticed as well and any observer could tell that they adjusted to their leader's current state.

Many of them seemed to start to worry about their prince, but none of them would say anything to Arthur as they all knew his temper. However they all stayed rather close in order to be able to react quickly in any case.

When Merlin arrived there he came just in time to see Arthur collapse and being caught by Sir Pellinor, immediately all present knights were at his side and hovering over him. Sir Leon took charge and organized for Arthur to be carried to his rooms.

Merlin had to say it was quite a sight to behold, watching about a dozen knights of Camelot fussing over their prince, while four of them carried him. If anything, they were loyal and they positively admired Arthur.

_'At least I can skip the trial for loyalty...'_

Once they reached the chambers Arthur was propped up in bed and Gaius, who had been called, examined him.

The young warlock was of course conducting his own test and thanks to the still not leaving soldiers he had to do them secretly. The only problem was he still detected nothing. Gaius had the same problem. There were no apparent external or internal injuries, no signs for sickness, just nothing.

While Gaius consulted with Sir Leon, Merlin shooed the other people out of the room insisting that Arthur needed rest and that he would make sure to inform them of any changes. As soon as they were gone the warlock approached the bed and heightened his senses. He didn't pick up any traces of magic... maybe he was tackling this the wrong way.

Taking a few steps back Merlin shifted his attention to the whole picture. Yesterday everything was fine, today not so much... what happened since then? Sleeping... the bed... leaping forward he dragged Arthur out of the bed, startling Gaius and Leon in the process.

He quickly explained his reasons and after Leon took Arthur he searched the bed for anything that shouldn't be there. And, of course, under the pillow he found a pouch with intricate runes all over it. Using his magical senses again Merlin was not surprised that he couldn't detect anything, whoever had created this made sure to erase any magical traces. He restored that information for later intently studied the pouch. Only moments later Merlin visibly paled and announced, "I have to go!"

"Go where?" asked Gaius whilst raising his eyebrow.

"The Isle of the Blessed," and with that Merlin disappeared in a gust of wind.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 13 Part 1

**okaayy uhmm... I'm still having troubles with this chapter... s****o I decided to split it, because I think it would be mean to let you wait for however long until I can solve them...**

**Better a short one than none, right? ^^ **

**Thx for the reviews and enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything**

**Chapter 13**

Only seconds after vanishing from Camelot Merlin arrived at the Isle of the Blessed. This beautiful island was the center of power for the followers of the old religion. There you could also find countless artefacts, which had been considered too dangerous and were therefore well hidden in the depths of the ruins. Unfortunately it seemed one of them had been recovered as Merlin was holding its counterpart; a part which had to be destroyed very soon in order to save Arthur from a terrible fate.

Running towards the altar in the middle of the ruins Merlin shouted "**Forbærne**" and a fire burst to life in the basin, which was standing on the altar. By throwing the pouch into these cleansing flames the spell would be broken and the device destroyed forever.

After finally reaching the altar he dropped the pouch into the basin, but it simply stopped in midair and flew of to his right. Merlin had been so focused on his task that he hadn't noticed the cloaked presence hiding in the shadows.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" and walking out of the shadows was Nimueh, high priestess of the old religion. She gave him the once-over and looked at him incredulously "_You're _Emrys? You got to be kidding me. The high and mighty Emrys... admired... feared... even worshipped by our kind... and you're it?"

Merlin simply eyed her sceptical in return and replied, "Well you're not so impressive yourself." And motioning to her blood-red dress, which was ripped in various places, he added "...and what's with the creepy outfit... did you want to dress the (evil) part?"

Snarling at him Nimueh threw a fire ball, which he easily deflected with a wave of his hand. Merlin calculated his chances by measuring her magic and surmised that it wouldn't be a very difficult battle for him. She might be stronger than most, but against him she wasn't good enough, it would nevertheless take some time as she surely had some trick up her sleeve. However, time was drawing short for the prince, if he remembered correctly then the device needed about twelve hours to completely draw the soul out of ones body and destroy it forever; not even resurrection would work anymore.

If he shouldn't be able to vanquish the pouch in the next hour... better forty-five minutes Arthur was going to die... but hey no pressure...

In the meantime Nimueh had started a little speech, talking about how things would be better if druids would rule Camelot and of course the rest of the known world... how together they would be invincible and blah blah blah...

Merlin, who didn't bother to actually listen to her, was instead planning how to get the little sachet out of her hand and into the damn fire.

"...wouldn't you agree?" she then finished and looked at him questioningly.

'_Huh...what was the question? '_seeing her intense gaze and determined expression he guessed she was still talking about world domination so he just went with "No."

"I see, what a pity. Then I fear I have no use for you." stated Nimueh and so the battle started.

* * *

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**p.s.: those of you who know 'pinky and the brain' imagine me writing the world domination part and suddenly being 'haunted' by the awesome intro...xD **

**no wonder I couldn't finish the chapter...**


	15. Chapter 13 Part 2

**Heyy...soooo sorry for the long wait...took me longer than I thought..was busy with university and I just couldn't figure out what to write for a while so yeah..**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews, really appreciate it :D same goes for story alerts/favourites **

**sorry again and I hope you'll like the chapter**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Chapter 13 Part Two**

"_**Astrice!**_" Nimueh screamed only seconds after her last statement. Merlin waved his hand again and deflected the magic easily, before countering with a fire ball. And for the next fifteen minutes this rather pointless trading of blows continued. One attacked the other deflected or ducked and vice versa. This was getting boring…well for Merlin at least; he had no time to play around like that. Nimueh, however, seemed to enjoy herself immensely, making sure to keep the pouch away from him and his various tries to get it back.

'_Oh this is so annoying.' _The young warlock got more and more irritated the longer this little 'duel' lasted. Maybe it was time to change tactic as he didn't want to waste his stronger magic in such a petty battle; he only needed to distract her long enough to take the device away from her. It was certainly worth a try.

Stopping in mid-movement he simply waited for her next attack and feigned horror as the spell hit him directly. He 'fell' to the ground with a scream and stayed there, pretending to be unconscious. The victorious shout from Nimueh a moment later was confirmation enough that she actually believed his act. Well he had had plenty of time to hone his acting skills, while serving or rather teasing Arthur day in and out. Who would have thought that would come in handy some time?

The priestess then walked over to the 'defeated' man, most likely to check if he was already dead. When she then bent down to inspect him more closely Merlin used her close proximity to snag the pouch from where it was bound to her belt; and vanished into thin air. Seconds later he reappeared next to the altar and threw the dreaded pouch into the fire, which suddenly released a golden jet of flame before going out.

* * *

At the exact same moment in Camelot Arthur woke abruptly and shot out of bed. Sir Leon and Gaius, who had been watching over the prince, rushed forward instantly to make sure the prince was alright.

"What's going on?" Asked a clueless Arthur, as the last thing he could remember was training with his knights while feeling miserable. So why was he in his rooms?

Gaius quickly explained the situation and then led the still weak prince back to his bed and told him to stay there until the next day to regain his strength. Sir Leon had, in the meantime, left the room to inform the other knights that Arthur was alright and only needed to rest a little.

* * *

_Island of the Blessed_

"_**NO!" **_Nimueh screamed furiously, "You foolish boy… you have no idea what you just did. We could have ruled the world! The council and you are disgracing our kind with your intentions. We should rule, become gods among humans."

Still grinning brightly due to his success Merlin rolled his eyes and once again turned to the priestess and replied, "You're completely nuts, aren't you?" Which of course only enraged her even more… oh boy, that woman had serious megalomaniac issues.

Deciding that it was time to leave and report her to the council, Merlin shielded himself from any further attacks. He then made to use a transportation spell, only to be stopped by Nimueh's next announcement.

"Sorry about your mom. She was such a lovely woman."

Startled and a little worried Merlin warily looked at Nimueh questioningly before correcting her. "My mother is not dead…"

"Not yet, no, but soon enough she will be."

If Merlin hated something, it was threats against his family. And Nimueh wasn't even aware of the fact that the sky was starting to darken the very moment she uttered her threat. Nor did she notice the increase of power in Merlin, she just assumed he was too afraid to do or say anything. So she happily continued to describe Hunith's unfortunate death to her son, using the most violent way she could imagine… only to be struck by a multitude of lightning seconds later.

Staring at the pulverized remains of the former high priestess Merlin broke his hold over the weather and thought, _'Oh dear…how am I going to explain this to the council?' _He could already feel the shift in the world created by Nimueh's demise… and, yep, there was the summoning from the council.

Adopting what he hoped was an innocent and apologetic expression he followed the call.

* * *

_Camelot_

On the next morning Arthur woke up feeling refreshed and energized. After last days events he only hoped that now they would finally have a break from all the nerve-wracking attacks and curses. Getting up and dressing himself he then realized that Merlin still wasn't there. Surely he would have by now returned to the castle? He had most likely overslept… again… and would crash into the room at any moment.

After expectedly staring at the door for what seemed like forever Arthur frowned and decided to get the idiot himself. Making his way through the castle he noticed that many of his knight's faces literally _lit up_ when they spotted him… that was a little weird.

When he finally reached his servant's quarters he simply rushed in, already having an insult ready, but stopped dead after noticing that the room was empty. Okay he was getting worried now… secretly of course.

"Where the hell is he?"

* * *

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**...and I know 'my' Merlin changes his...well... personality (? !) quite often, but he's kinda supposed to have different sides, because of his past...and so (just realized how stupid this sounds...but I hope you know what I mean anyway xD)**


	16. Chapter 14

**soo here is the next chapter for you =) hope you like it **

**...and a special thanks to George2Bob1, merlingirl and ruby890 for reviewing :D**

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't =(**

**Chapter 14**

After searching nearly the entire castle Arthur decided to go ask Connor if he knew something about Merlin's whereabouts. Upon reaching Connor's room he knocked and waited impatiently for the druid to open the door.

When Connor finally answered the door the blonde was more than irritated.

"Prince Arthur, what can I do for you?" asked the other politely.

"Do you know where Merlin is? I can't find him anywhere..."

"Ah yes, I would have informed you all in today's meeting. Emrys is detained at the moment; he will not return for the rest of the negotiations." Replied the druid tentatively.

"Why not? Your council assured us that he would protect us during the entire talks, and now you tell me he's not coming back? And where is he anyway?" exclaimed an irritated prince.

"The negotiations are nearly finished, as you may know; tomorrow will be the final meeting. After that the treaty will be signed and ratified. Additionally, the leader of the rebels has been dealt with and the rest of its members are in the custody of our people. Therefore Emrys is no longer needed." Having finished his explanation Connor bowed slightly and left for the council chambers, leaving a perplexed Arthur behind.

Several minutes later when Gwen rushed through the hallway Arthur was still standing there shell-shocked. And who would blame him he had just been told that his friend/manservant would not return to his side. Who would now insult him or ignore his orders?

...and damn he still had to pay the moron back for his prank...

* * *

In the middle of the night a dark figure entered the prince's chambers undetected... again. The man silently approached Arthur's bed and was then eerily illuminated by the incoming moonlight. Revealed was a certain druid, who had of course 'forgotten' to mention that he was now responsible for the trials; Connor lifted his magical amulet and triggered the spell, which the council had added only moments ago. "**Swefn**."

Moments after the spell was cast Arthur's peaceful sleep came to a sudden end and his eyes started to move rapidly behind the closed lids. The dream had started and above the blonde a mirror like surface appeared through which the druid would watch it.

Another trial had started...

* * *

_Arthur's dream_

His father was marrying a troll...well according to his manservant Merlin, for everyone else it was Lady Catrina. And honestly Arthur had no idea why his servant constantly insulted her with insisting that she was a troll... she wasn't that ugly; in fact she was quite a beauty. But still marrying her... he really hoped his father knew what he was doing...

* * *

Uther was nuts, completely and utterly insane... shortly after his marriage he had started to increase the taxes, even though his subjects couldn't afford them. Additionally Merlin had had to flee the city as the new queen had accused him of stealing some jewelry.

Arthur just had to stand up against his father to protect his people from the injustice and to help Merlin of course. Seriously, why should the idiot steal a dumb necklace... he didn't have a sweetheart and Arthur really hoped he had no reason to wear it himself...

So, now he wasn't crowned prince anymore and his father and stepmother were going crazy...

* * *

Okay, so Merlin had been right his stepmother was a troll... a stinking, fat troll... and had enchanted the king. The only way to break the spell was for Uther to cry; for that Gaius and Merlin had concocted a brilliant plan... yeah he 'only' had to die.

Merlin of all people was then responsible for bringing him back with his magic before his soul moved on... 'I so hope the idiot is punctual for once in his life...'

* * *

Merlin was late! There he was lying on the bloody floor dying in his crying father's arms, next to a farting troll fighting against some guards and that imbecile just wasn't coming. What was he waiting for, a written invitation?

_What seemed like an eternity later…_

Oh thank god, finally! Troll dead, check; soul saved, check; shouting at incompetent servant... in progress.

"What took you so long, you idiot.?" Exclaimed Arthur while sitting up and glaring at the warlock.

Grinning widely like usual Merlin replied, "Oh don't be such a girl, I still had plenty of time... nearly 30 seconds."

"30 SECONDS? You… you.."

"Running out of insults, prat?"

"No I have plenty left, you... dimwit!"

"Arrogant ass."

"Imbecile."

"Dollop Head."

"Moron."

"Clot pole."

"Retard."

...

_End of dream_

* * *

Not really interested in watching the bickering Connor ended the spell by simply lowering the amulet, whereupon the 'mirror' above the blonde disappeared and Arthur returned to a more peaceful sleep.

The penultimate trial had already been successful, as the prince had soon proven to possess the virtue fairness, and would stand up for his opinion and his people.

But what Connor found even more interesting was the role Emrys had played in the dream. Neither he nor the council had realized how deeply the prince and Merlin had bonded, for Arthur to 'lay his life' in his new friends hands so easily. He would have to discuss this with the council immediately, because maybe their favor in exchange for a protector wouldn't be so difficult to implement as they first thought.

* * *

**please let me know what you think =) **

**(swefn:sleep/dream)**


	17. Chapter 15

**Helloo, **

**I know this is getting boring, but sorry, again...unfortunately I had exams and still have some next week...so studying is taking a lot of my time now...sorry :D **

**Anyway, thank you for all the reviews, you're awesome...yes YOU! :D **

**also thanks for alerts and favourites I like looking at the evergrowing number of those =) **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 15**

God, was he bored…

After nearly two days of being in a dark, dusty room Merlin, or rather Emrys, was bored out of his mind. And was even considering breaking out, which of course he could have done the moment he was locked in, but unfortunately his mother had raised him to follow rules…

So here he was being all good and waiting for the council's decision regarding his little slip-up with Nimueh. Maybe he should practice to look guilt stricken and apologetic… nah who was he kidding, she deserved it and he wasn't that good an actor.

Emrys then returned to thinking about his favorite prank victim, which he had done quite a lot of during his 'imprisonment'. Not that he was worried about the prat's health, his total incompetence in dressing himself or who was going to bring him his food now that he wasn't there... really he wasn't. Never. No way. No, he was only coming up with new pranks... yes, really; and was it his fault that to conduct these he needed to consider Arthur's condition? NO, certainly not.

Thankfully that was the moment the door finally sprung open, which meant he was supposed to go to the great hall to meet up with the council. Taking his time in getting up, (why the hell should he hurry when they let him wait for two days?) he slowly walked out the door and made his way through the torch-lit corridor to the entrance of the hall. Emrys then entered the room and came to a halt opposite of the table, where the elders sat, and surprisingly Connor was there also, not sitting of course.

Ignoring his sudden urge to question Connor about what had happened in Camelot since his departure the warlock remained still and waited... again. After what seemed like a lifetime the spokesman of the council finally started talking.

"We have decided to send you to Camelot permanently; you will be our link to them, like an ambassador. Additionally we insist that you stay the prince's servant."

Now he was confused, weren't they supposed to punish him? Or maybe they'd realized that serving Arthur in itself was enough punishment itself... Not that he particularly minded, but hey, who was he to complain, he got away with 'murder' and was practically ordered to annoy Arthur for the rest of his life.

"Alright, no problem, I guess I should return to Camelot right away."

"Indeed. And take Connor with you, the treaty is finished as of today and will be implemented tomorrow at a feast, after that you will send him back to our settlement. You may leave now." With that being said the members of the councils disappeared in a gust of wind.

* * *

_Camelot_

Arthur was sulking. Well not that he admitted it, but it was pretty obvious as he was walking around the castle with a pout. Even during training he was distracted and missed his usual fervor. Nothing seemed to be able to cheer him up, and he got even more irritated when his father announced that he already had found another manservant for him. Boy that hadn't been pretty...

After his little temper tantrum, which included shouting at a bemused king and throwing stuff, Arthur had been confined to his chambers, to be left out shortly before the feast. Now again having the time to think the prince realized that he really missed his friend... not that he would own up to that.

He was just... bored, yes that was it… normal, non-Merlin related boredom. He should really do something like... reading the reports, which had been lying on his desk since yesterday.

.

.

.

_Several hours later_

Arthur was sleeping with his head on top of the reports, when someone entered the room silently. The tall, lean man looked at the blonde with a fond smile and walked over to the table. Moments later a smirk replaced his kind expression and rubbing his hands in glee his eyes flashed a bright gold.

...and the sound of fanfares erupted right beside Arthur's head, startling him out of sleep violently, whereupon he lost his balance and fell over with his chair, taking most of the reports with him. A rather angry prince emerged from a pile of papers, while cursing.

"What the fuck was that? You..." then he recognized the person standing in his room, grinning like mad. And no he didn't squeal in delight nor did he smile like a maniac... you shouldn't believe anything Merlin told you, he was lying. Seriously he was! Arthur was completely dignified... well if you forgot about the sitting on the floor and covered with papers part.

After regaining his composure, which according to Arthur was never lost, he got up and greeted his friend by throwing a nearby pitcher at him. And knowing that the warlock would stop the missile in flight Arthur covertly picked up a goblet and hid it behind his back.

In the meantime Merlin had returned the object onto the table before he made a full turn to look at the chambers and asked incredulously "What happened? I was only gone for 2 or 3 days, how can it be so clean?"

The prince only rolled his eyes in exasperation before replying "Well for once I had a servant, who actually worked! I know that's a very difficult concept for you to grasp, but I'm sure someone will explain it to you... Now it's almost time for the feast, help me get dressed."

Sighing deeply Merlin's expression turned pitiful, "Oh dear, I'm gone three days and you promptly forget how to dress yourself... don't you worry Sire I'm going to teach you again... Now where has this strange, working servant hidden your formal clothes?... Aha, he used the cupboard, got to remember that one."

Using his distracted state Arthur threw the goblet at Merlin's head, which hit him full force, well, that was what Arthur thought anyway. How should he know that Merlin had granted him that little success and had only slowed the goblet at the last minute so it more or less caressed him?

With that 'accomplishment' Arthur was back to his normal, prattish self; gone was the pout and his bad mood, he must have been under the weather... clearly!

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King Uther, who had already been informed about Merlin's new position, announced it with everything else at the feast, which proved to be a huge success. While the speeches, of course, had been more than boring, it was quite fun to watch Arthur and his rehired manservant bicker and shove each other around. Connor, who also gave a long _interesting_ monologue, was then dismissed and Merlin sent him back home.

For once all was well in Camelot...or it would be if Merlin hadn't nearly forgotten about the seventh trial, which still had to be performed. I mean come on, the treaty was already finished why did he have to work more than absolutely necessary?

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**Review =) pls**

**...btw there will only be one more chapter, the epilogue, containing the trial and Arthur's prank on Merlin...now I have a 7th virtue, but no prank...soo please if any of you have an idea let me know! =) THX :D**


	18. Epilogue

**Helloo, uhm okaay soo this wasn't really sooner...but I kinda had a problem with writing this chapter**

**Anyway now it's finally finished and so is the story! :D **

**Soo once again Thank you all for the lovely reviews, for putting this story on alert or adding it to your favourites! you're amazing :D **

**..and pls do review once again (also, my beta Dawn That Shines urges you to review or she's going to cry even harder...so please save her!)**

**at Dawn that shines: Thank you soo much for your help and don't be sad you'll still get to beta my other story! And the next and the next... :D (if you want to, of course!^^)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything**

**Epilogue**

Emrys, or rather Merlin, as he was now called by most people, hurried through the castle, barely avoiding collisions with the other servants, who were by now used to this. Like every morning Merlin was late and therefore running from the kitchens to Arthur's chambers, after collecting the prince's breakfast.

All the while he was trying to come up with a way to conduct the last trial, but he just couldn't think of something that wouldn't arouse suspicions. And if even one of the trials was spotted by the tested the whole thing had to be repeated...Merlin really didn't want that to happen. So for now he would just keep thinking...

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At the same time Arthur was already up and waiting for his breakfast. Like the last couple weeks he started the morning with thinking about his planned prank on Merlin. The only problem he still had, before he could actually go through with it, was to find a way around Merlin's magic, which proved to be quite difficult. In the course of the past days Arthur had started to subtly test his servant's reactions, well magical reactions. And it wasn't looking good for him...

Whenever something, like a flying goblet came his way it was stopped immediately. When there was something on the ground to trip him it magically moved out of the way and so on...How was he supposed to get his revenge under these conditions?

Sighing heavily Arthur leaned back in his chair and cursed this situation; it would take him a little longer to figure out what to do, well he would just have to settle with the little things for now... (throwing various objects at him; making Merlin fight him with a sword, without magical help; dragging him along on hunting trips,...)

.

About five minutes later the chamber doors burst open and Merlin arrived with his breakfast, _finally_. Right after he entered, however, Merlin stopped dead and his jaw dropped.

Feeling a little self-conscious Arthur shifted uncomfortably and said indignantly "What?" After closing his gaping mouth the young warlock put his hand over his heart and replied.

"Oh my... I think you just gave me a heart attack... you're dressed... how, I mean you didn't cheat, did you?"

"How can I cheat while getting dressed?"

"So, no other servant helped you? You did it all by yourself?"

"Yes..." the blonde exclaimed hesitantly and subtly checked again that everything was where it was supposed to be.

"Arthur... I am so proud of you, my little boy all grown up now..." Swiftly dodging the thrown goblet, Merlin moved forward and put the tray with food down in front of Arthur, before beginning to clean the room manually. Why manually? Well the crowned prince had made it very clear that he would not accept him _slacking off _the whole day, while his magic did all the work. So now Merlin had to do every chore by hand... at least as long as Arthur was nearby.

But on few occasions, like when he needed his armour cleaned promptly or wanted to wear his favourite shirt, which still had to be washed, Arthur actually told him to use magic. So for Merlin it was a nice balance between using magic and doing things manually...

While pondering this new development, Merlin suddenly felt a small tug in his mind, similar to what happened whenever he informed the council of the completion of a trial. He frowned in confusion and was about to find out what he had done unconsciously, as he received an answer from the council.

"_So the trials have finally been completed... nicely done, Emrys. Our new ally has proven to be worthy of our friendship, protect them well..."_

Uh-oh, what had he done now? He hadn't even performed the trial, had he?

'_Okay, think Merlin think, the last virtue is balance...oh!' _Smiling in delight, Merlin turned to watch the oblivious prince and continued his train of thought, _'Arthur is now actively asking for magic, but also kept me doing things the normal way... thus a balance was established, that's just brilliant. I love my instinctual magic!' _Now in an even better mood, Merlin could at last concentrate on his latest ideas to antagonize Arthur... not knowing that the blonde was thinking similar thoughts.

Things in Camelot would certainly remain interesting...

The End.

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**One last review? Yess pleaase!**


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